Kayonce
Kayonce Kalina S, known professionally as Kayonce is a Bulgarian drummer, songwriter, record producer and TV personality best known for her membership in Bulgarian pop rock band SPopova. Born and raised in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, she became interested in performing as a child. She carried her interest in music to High School, where she met her bandmates Lil' M, Dowine and Vanilla B and formed a band called Mighty Warriors of Popova's Heart, which was not successful and led to its separation just after their graduation. After their break-up, Kayonce moved to the Netherlands and started studying Tourism Management. Early life Kalina S. a.k.a. Kayonce was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on the 25th of November 1991 and has an older brother. Kayonce's interest in music, more specifically in drums, began when she was 5 years old. She has revealed in several interviews that her grandfather is her biggest influencer, owing to the fact he is a successful drummer himself. "When we bought her first set of drums she (Kalina) couldn't believe her eyes... It was her dream come true... What shocked me most was the fact that while we were trying to figure out a way to assemble the drums and were looking for the instructions, my 5-year-old daughter had already assembled the set all by herself"- her mother states. Ten years later, Kayonce co-founded Mighty Warriors of Popova's Heart (MWPH) along with her bandmates Lil' M, Dowine and Vanilla B. After the split up, Kalina moved to the Netherlands and started studying Tourism Management. Few years later she graduated and moved to Switzerland where she is currently living. Mighty Warriors of Popova's Heart (MWPH) During the last years of High School Lil' M, Dowine, Vanilla B and Kayonce decided to form a band called Mighty Warriors of Popova's Heart (MWPH). They experimented with several styles, including country and folk, before deciding groove-based music would become their genre. The band put together a demo that was rejected by several labels, before falling into the hands of Klasika Records executives Jack Robev, Bart Williams, and Jujo Marshall Jr. Despite high expectations from the band and the record company, the album failed to catch on and their lead single "The Yard", was a failure. According to Dowine, the failure of the album was "a huge disappointment" that led them to break up. However, one summer night, after years of separation the band members met by accident in the same Karaoke bar in their hometown and performed together. The Karaoke bar's audience "went crazy", as Kayonce once stated and that caused the band to reunite.Following Williams advice, the band changed its name to SPopova due to its initial long name and also "because SPopova sounds more fancy"- as stated by Vanilla B. SPopova and mainstream success ' After years of hard work, in 2014, the band finally decided to record and release their first album called "Black Drawer". Needless to say it became a hit and it even sold out within 12 hours after the release. The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and the lead single "Moves like Iva" became the band's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The band won the Grammy award for best new artist in 2014. For the next few years, they toured extensively worldwide and produced two live recordings. The band released their second album "Plovacation" on January 27,2016 at the day of Vanilla B's dog's birthday. All four singles of the album were highly successful on the Billboard Hot 100, including second single "One More 10 Minute Break, which reached number one. The band has been featured in various advertisements including ones for Hero Chocolate and Coca Cola and have starred in a movie as well. SPopova has performed numerous times at festivals including Tomorrowland and Coachela and have also sold more than 15 million albums in Europe and 27 million albums worldwide. '''Personal life Kayonce is married to Italian model Mariano Di Vaio, with whom she is expecting her first child. The pair met at a fashion show in Geneva, Switzerland in 2014 and have been together ever since. Not only does he support her career but he is also her number-one fan: "She is the most talented person I have ever met and feel grateful for every second spent with her... My love for her is infinite" - Di Vaio declared. He proposed to her while they were on a vacation in the Maldives. The couple wed at a private ceremony and although most details remain a secret, the pair married in front of 70 of their closest friends, family members and her bandmates. Adele is also rumored to have performed at the wedding but it was never confirmed. Kayonce set up her own travel agency after graduating university and the company is now the most profitable travel agency in the world. She is also proud owner of several hotels including The St. Regis Villa at St. Regis Mauritius, Burj Al Arab in Dubai and Mardan Palace Hotel in Antalya, Turkey.